Where we bake, we blog, and we commute

Menu

Tag Archives: birthday

Post navigation

As much as I love the month of May, it’s really a struggle to get through. Along with exams and other end of the school year plans, May also brings my father’s birthday and death date, ten days apart.

But I believe in celebrating life, and the precious, glorious time I had with Daddy, never mourning him. That’s why I am choosing to write about him on his birthday, not on the fifth anniversary of his death.

Daddio was the oldest of five boys, a regular Richmond hippie growing up in the sixties. He was a theater boy at Benedictine, kicked out by headmaster Father Adrian Continue reading →

I don’t know how to not make this your typical sappy “happy birthday Mom” post, so instead I’ll tell you some stories.

Before my junior prom, I was extremely preoccupied with a dumb vision of having a perfect date. Momma asked friends, coworkers, anyone really, if they had teenage sons who were single, “My daughter’s looking for a prom date!” Maybe hearing stories of how my mom looked for dates for me wasn’t my favorite thing, but now that I look back, it was a really sweet thing. My mom was going out of her way to help me find a date so I could have a good prom.

Momma has hella good music tastes. One day, I asked her one day for a music recommendation for our trip to North Carolina. Hours later, we had gone through all the vinyls and CDs in our basement, and she sent me upstairs with Continue reading →

ALL MY FELLOW NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY BABIES BE PROUD WE SHARE A BIRTHDAY MONTH WITH THE ONE AND ONLY MICHELLE TANNER

How was my day, you might ask? Quite splendid, my Italian pop star boyfriend made me breakfast in bed as well as a real seven plate pranzo, or lunch. Sitting on the banks of our beach house overlooking Capri afterwards, he played love songs on his guitar for me while I stuffed my face with lots and lots of cake and coffee. Torta e caffè.

When I woke up from that dream, I made some waffles and drank coffee. But my birthday was still fun, Saturday night I hung out with my friends. I thought it might be fun to dress up a little bit.

Birthdays are a funny thing. There used to be a magic that woke you up in the morning and flowed around you all day like Hey guess the stars dedicated today to me and just me so everyone buy me a cake. But after about nine or ten, the magic kinda fades off, little by little. Now I’m kinda like, wait today is birthday? I thought it was Sunday. Does that mean I have an excuse to not do homework and eat more candy?

But anyway, I had fun. I’m so happy to have been with some of my close friends hanging out in Carytown/watching the VCU game in Sean’s dorm. I bought my friends dinner at Burger Bach and then we later had raspberry chocolate cupcakes (calories don’t exist on your birthday, no matter how many days you celebrate). And VCU won (duh), thanks Shaka for the nice present!

(Don’t ask me who these people are I just found them on google)

However, none of you got me the seven foot tall giraffe or hired an all male a cappella group to sing for me, so now I must defriend you all. (Except for you, Mother. She got me goat’s milk lotion and cookie cutters that spell out VCU.)

Expect this to happen next time at the Commons. (Except for Shaka. He can always sit with me. We’re still tight after the one time we passed each other on the compass and I freaked out while he ignored my presence)

But seriously, LOOK I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS EVER

For realz doe, how lucky am I that my best friend and I are living the same life of going to the same high school and commuting to the same college with our humanities majors looking for rich husbands? Plus, we both understand the beauty of good coffee and Urban sales

My favorite couple/best friends. Proof there is love but constant reminder there’s none for me. Janey and I are quite excited to make Thai iced tea and other delicious dishes. Sean is the reason why I have friends.

THIS GIRL BOUGHT ME A CONCERT TICKET TO THE 1975 AND TWENTY-ONE PILOTS AND WE HAVE BEST FRIEND KEYCHAINS WHY WOULD I EVER WANT BOYS WHEN I HAVE HER?! And we are job twins, enjoy praising biscuits, and are amazing at Baking Bad so pretty much we were separated at birth

I know you’re jealous now, these people (plus my other friends) are all pretty much

I’m so fortunate to be loved by so many beautiful souls. I don’t know where I would be without any of you. You all mean a lot to me and I’m so happy to call you my friends. From the kids I met at Saint Edward’s when we were all fat and awkward, to the girls who made Saint Gertrude the good memories that it is, even now to my VCU love bugs, the people who I can really connect to. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. (Don’t worry, I won’t defriend you. I will be accepting the all male a cappella group as a Christmas present)

Thanks for everything Momma! Did you know the day I was born as she fought the hospital people about epiderals, my father watched Sports Center then went out to eat that night? At least she had me by her side then, now and always. You go Momma Mindy, I love you! (Plus she’s making me lasagna and bought me a sweater so my other one wouldn’t be lonely, so I should probably be nice to her)

Me: Hey James guess what it’s my birthday!

James: Hey guess what–me too. Can I go on reddit on your laptop?

Alright y’all, I’m going to go eat lasagna then write my papers read Buzzfeed articles and be 19. Woohoo one last year of being a teenager! Is that supposed to mean something? Should I go pierce something or get a tramp stamp and be rebellious?

Nah, I’ll just keep baking. Here are the waffle and cupcakes recipes, my birthday gift to you (I know, I really shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t resist):

Okay people, the nineteenth birthday is in T-10 days and here’s my wish list. (Pay close attention Mother)

1. I want to an attractive, all-male a cappella group to serenade “Happy Birthday” to me. Shirtless, of course. And if one of the them could jump out of a giant cake, that’d be cool too. The cake, would of course be red velvet and the attractive man would then feed me some.

Like these boys in Pitch Perfect. Make the Jesse jump out of the cake (and then fall in love with me)

2. Front row seats to Song Contest for me and my Gertie girls. And I’m expecting nothing less than Pink & Brown quality from each class (including Orange & Blue).

The Silver and Blue reign has come to a close and it’s time to usher in a new era of winners who can’t celebrate with cakes.

3. A personal dresser/psychic in the morning who could pick out the perfect outfit for each day. He or she would account for the weather, whether or not I’m working that day, and know how cute I have to look depending on who I will/won’t see that day. Save me time in the morning picking out clothes and give me time to drink more coffee.

If they want to buy more clothes for me as well, they are more than welcome.

4. The outrageous $2000 giraffe that we’re selling at the pharmacy. But only if it comes with the $1200 tiger. Because no one else is going to buy it. (I think my 20% discount will help ya out ;))

5. Chocolate covered espresso beans. But not just a standard size bag from Fresh Market. I want enough espresso beans that so they will equal my weight. Because there is never enough coffee in the world.

That’s amore

5. You might need a chemistry person or something for this one. Claire brand hybrid lotion: The consistency of goat’s milk body lotion with the aromatic scent of Summer Vanilla Berry lotion by Bath & Body Works (should I mention that they discontinued that collection)?

(Luckily I bought out half the store when I found out that they stopped making these. Now you just need to get the goat’s milk lotion)

6. For the frugal: one scratch off lottery ticket. But this will not be just any lottery ticket. No, when I scratch this one, I want to see “Congratulations! You’ve one free month of studying abroad in Perugia!” And while I’m there, I want an attractive Italian pop star to mistake me for other part of the duo while in a caffe sipping on espresso and enjoying un dolci. He will take me to the countryside, sing to me often, and pamper me with love, food, and clothes. Wait that sounds like the Lizzie McGuire Movie. That didn’t end well between Paolo and Lizzie.

Well, my Italian lover will be sweet and not a jerk, he and I will ride a baby blue Vespa off into the sunset then retire to our countryside and cook large Italian meals together

7. Katy Perry rented out for the day. Katy and I will have an itinerary filled with talking about our same lives, playing with cats, singing songs, and lots of arts and crafts so I can have a California Gurls outfit. We of course, will consume pounds of sugar and play in her real life Candy Land like in the music video, as well at the great board game,

Just imagine me next to her, wearing a homemade lollipop dress and bracelets made of Rolos.

8. A reserved parking spot for me in the Main Street Parking Deck so I don’t have to go through all that mess of looking for a place to park every morning. Also, thanks to Saint Gertrude I only know how to parallel park and not normal park.

9. Cookie cutters. But not just any cookie cutters, I want them in the shapes of each of the countries so I can make a cookie globe

I don’t even know what I want to do for my birthday, but at least you have my list now. Having some friends in dorms and some not is hard trying to figure out what to do, then add the awkward Sunday day of birth on top. I’m slightly considering transporting all of you to my house and cooking food for you all or hopping from dorm building to dorm building and spending sufficient time with each friend in the building. Could someone else plan a surprise party for me?

Also, if you could make a cake like this from your dorm room, that’d be pretty cool.

Fifteen years ago my baby brother was born. The two of us have gone through a ton of ups and downs but we’ve remained good friends through it all. I’m so glad that out of all the crazy teenage boys, I ended up with you for a brother, even if you like to remind me that you are “better than me” on the regular.

Ahh, the day you were born. Daddy had to drive me to Mumar’s (his mother’s) house with my momma in the car, about to burst. After he had dropped me off that morning, he proceeded to eat pancakes with his parents with his preggo eggo wife still in the car.

James and I have had a great relationship, especially the past few years. The internet king that he is, we spend years together just looking at videos or reddit. He’s a genius child who’s in the process of building a computer and wants to go to VCU for engineering, and later work for NASA. He’s always in the know about the latest news and politics and won’t eat much other than McNuggets, Papa John’s, and pancakes.

Even if I have to deal with his silly stuff like the constant reminders of like him being taller than me, I love his witty humor and quirkiness. He’s the craziest little kid I know (What other eighth grader wears his sister’s silver leggings to the junior high dance?)

He’s an upcoming freshman at Thomas Jefferson this fall in their IB program. Neither of us have been to public school before so this will be quite the culture shock. Have fun you weirdy!